Shelter-in-place order lifted for 90,000 Georgia residents after chemical plant fire

Late Monday, authorities ended a shelter-in-place order for more than 90,000 people east of Atlanta after a fire at a chemical plant over the weekend sent a massive plume of dark smoke into the Georgia sky and to complaints of a strong chemical smell and fog.

The smell spread across Atlanta by Monday, prompting firefighters to use detectors to check air quality in different areas of the city, Mayor Andre Dickens said.

The Rockdale County Emergency Management Agency lifted the shelter-in-place order and evacuation zone after Environmental Protection Agency readings for the area showed things were safe. He said businesses could operate as normal on Tuesday.

Northeast of Atlanta, Arynne Johnson was taking her Great Danes outside in Suwanee Monday morning when she encountered a foggy air that “slapped you in the face,” she recalled.

“I used to work at a water park and it felt like a pool house,” she said.

Closer to the source of the fire, officials said chlorine, a harmful irritant, was detected in the air following the fire at the BioLab plant in Conyers, Ga., Rockdale County government said in a statement Monday. The plant is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of downtown Atlanta.

Who had to evacuate?

People in northern Rockdale County, north of Interstate 20, were ordered to evacuate Sunday, and others were told to shelter in place.

Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Christine Nesbitt did not know the number of evacuees, although it covered a large portion of the Conyers community. Media reports said the number was around 17,000.

What should you do if you are told to shelter in place?

The best practice for sheltering in place is to “turn off the air conditioning and keep windows and doors closed,” Rockdale County officials said.

Emergency management officials in Fulton County, which includes much of Atlanta, said people concerned about the haze or smell should follow the same advice: stay indoors, close windows and doors and turn off the air conditioning.

Where are the people reporting concerns?

Residents in at least three large Atlanta counties — Fulton, DeKalb and Gwinnett — reported seeing a chlorine mist or strong odor Monday.

In Atlanta, officials believe foggy conditions and a chemical odor are related to the BioLab fire, the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency said in a statement.

Employees were testing the air Monday for chemicals including chlorine, hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide.

As of early Monday afternoon, “no immediate life safety issues have been identified,” Atlanta Fire Rescue reported. Additional tests were underway.

In Suwanee, Johnson said she had a headache, a cough and “my chest and upper throat were tight all day.”

How are schools affected?

Georgia’s largest school system – Gwinnett County Public Schools – initially canceled all outdoor activities and events on Monday. School officials added that they have also taken steps to prevent outside air from entering its buildings. On Monday afternoon, the school system reversed course and said after-school activities could be held.

The DeKalb County School District also announced that there will be no after school activities or athletics on Monday.

Closer to the fire, Rockdale County Public Schools students were already out of school for fall break. In nearby Newton County, schools closed Monday in part because of the large size of the evacuation zone.

What caused the fire?

The fire started when a sprinkler head malfunctioned around 5 a.m. Sunday at the BioLab plant in Conyers, Rockdale County Fire Chief Marian McDaniel told reporters. The malfunction caused the water to mix with a water-reactive chemical, producing a wave of chemicals.

McDaniel said there were employees inside the plant, but no injuries were reported, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The fire was brought under control around 4 p.m. Sunday, officials said.

What type of manufacturing plant is involved?

BioLab’s website says it is the pool and spa water care division of Lawrenceville, Georgia-based KIK Consumer Products. The Conyers facility opened in 1973.

In May 2004, a huge fire in a warehouse at the Conyers complex set off multiple explosions and prompted the evacuation of 300 people as a chlorine-laden cloud rolled through the area, the Associated Press reported at the time. The plume of green, gray and white smoke stretched for 10 miles (16 kilometers). At least nine people went to hospitals with complaints of burning eyes and lungs.

In June 2015, six Rockdale County firefighters were injured in a fire at the complex, but none of the injuries were life-threatening, the Rockdale Citizen reported at the time. Another fire the following year prompted some voluntary evacuations near the plant, the newspaper reported.

In September 2020, a chemical fire at the same plant in Conyers prompted authorities to shut down both directions of Interstate 20 during the morning rush hour. Inside the plant, BioLab workers used forklifts to try to remove the chemicals from the decomposing chemicals to prevent catastrophe, but their forklifts were slipping on the wet floor and chemical fumes were forming. Firefighters’ access to the situation was hampered by poorly stacked pallets of material, the Chemical Safety and Hazards Investigation Commission later found. Nine firefighters were evaluated at hospitals after inhaling hazardous fumes.

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